MoBay trio accused of money laundering gets new court date

Three St James men who were arrested and charged with money laundering following an operation by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), last year received new trial dates for 2015 when they appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday.

Robert Dunbar, a building contractor of Hatfield Meadows in Montego Bay; Delroy Gayle, of Bogue Village; and businessman Louis Smith, of Porto Bello, will undergo trial from June 8 to 12, and July 6 to 10, next year. The men were given the trial dates after presiding magistrate Carolyn Tie canvassed potential dates with the men's attorneys.

Dunbar is being represented by attorney-at-law Oswest Senior-Smith; Gayle, by attorney-at-law Martyn Thomas; and Smith, by attorney-at-law Hugh Wildman.

The prosecution is expected to call 10 witnesses during the trial proceedings.

Dunbar, Gayle and Smith were taken into custody on August 30, 2013, following a raid of their Montego Bay premises by personnel from MOCA, in collaboration with the Financial Investigations Division.

They were formally charged on Sunday, September 1.

It is alleged that a key prosecution witness, who is said to be serving a sentence in the United States on drug-related charges, had given a statement to the authorities, pinpointing the three defendants as participants in an international drug syndicate.